Nepal flood: 1,384 dead across border, UN urges aid

At least 1,384 people have been killed and more than 5,500 are missing after the August 26 flood on the China-Nepal border, as the United Nations chief in Nepal urged international aid for devastated mountain communities.

UN Resident Coordinator Lila Pieters Yahia said after visiting affected areas that survivors had lost homes, livelihoods and relatives within “one to two minutes”. More than 800 foreigners from at least 34 countries are among those missing in Nepal and Tibet in China, including tourists and pilgrims.

The UN has launched a $50 million appeal to help more than 84,000 people affected in Nepal. It is working with Nepal's government to get emergency supplies into areas still cut off after floods destroyed roads, bridges and hydropower dams.

Pieters Yahia said journeys that once took a few hours can now take a day, with landslides and the monsoon season adding to access problems. She said authorities must meet shelter and food needs, protect vulnerable women and girls, and invest in sanitation and hygiene because 5,000 cattle deaths could raise the risk of communicable diseases, including cholera.

The flood followed a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border. A UN preliminary assessment put building damage in Nepal at $158 million, with wider losses expected to be far higher.